Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowell, MA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,689 in Lowell, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Lowell, MA
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Lowell, MA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Lowell, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lowell, MA and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lowell, MA and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,689 per month in Lowell, MA vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Lowell, MA $2,689
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $4,243 per month in Lowell, MA vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Lowell, MA $4,243
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $5,797 per month in Lowell, MA vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Lowell, MA $5,797
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Lowell, MA costs about 111% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lowell, MA sits 98% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$9.38 R$47.54

92.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 $69.0

$40.00 R$203

72.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$8.34 R$42.28

10.79%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$2.29 R$11.62

113.97%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.59 R$8.05

27.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.01 R$5.10

63.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.14 R$10.85

132.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 $8.21

$3.66 R$18.55

124.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.13 R$5.72

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.09 R$10.60

1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$1.25 R$6.36

322.40%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$2.25 R$11.39

82.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$10.92 R$55.3

2.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$4.36 R$22.10

105.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.47 $17.47

$9.60 R$48.66

81.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.85 R$14.46

-4.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.81 R$9.16

-32.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.82 $6.82

$1.58 R$8.02

331.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.83 R$9.28

201.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.20 R$6.10

39.17%

Onion (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.06 R$5.35

317.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$0.75 R$3.81

301.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.68 R$3.45

223.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 $13.78

$2.94 R$14.90

368.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 $13.42

$7.98 R$40.43

68.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.18 R$5.98

47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.42 R$12.26

73.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.94 R$4.78

92.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 $55.2

$50.3 R$255

9.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.20 R$6.10

236.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.83 R$4.20

110.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$8.97 R$45.48

228.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.29 R$6.53

-34.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

21.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-21.84%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$186 $186

$134 R$681

38.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$51.6 $51.6

$10.73 R$54.4

380.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$22.84 R$116

192.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.07 $40.07

$30.16 R$153

32.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.45 $12.45

$31.49 R$160

-60.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$7.73 R$39.17

81.76%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,410 $1,410

$584 R$2,960

141.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$12.8K R$64.9K

130.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$41.12 R$208

40.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.86 $37.86

$49.26 R$250

-23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 $79.2

$73.7 R$373

7.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 $70.2

$65.9 R$334

6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$900 R$4,561

80.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 $1,474

$527 R$2,673

179.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,728 $3,728

$1,332 R$6,754

179.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 $3,116

$748 R$3,790

316.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,460 $3,460

$3,990 R$20.2K

-13.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 $3,536

$1,560 R$7,908

126.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,963 $3,963

$640 R$3,246

518.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

11.93

-48.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lowell, MA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lowell, MA

$1.5K 54.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 64.2% $947

Groceries & Markets

Lowell, MA

$370 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 42.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowell, MA

$304 11.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 44.9% $137

Eating Out

Lowell, MA

$287 10.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 45.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lowell, MA

$110 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 6.1% $6.8

Getting Around

Lowell, MA

$75 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 20.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lowell, MA

$68 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 33.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,620 in Lowell, MA versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 519% higher in Lowell, MA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Lowell, MA versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lowell, MA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

1 h ahead of Lowell, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,519

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lowell, MA Rio de Janeiro 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lowell, MA
Rio de Janeiro

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lowell, MA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lowell, MA is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,033 per month in Lowell, MA and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,410 per month in Lowell, MA and $584 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Lowell, MA at $2,689. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lowell, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lowell, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.